Limited deer hunt planned at East Lansing parks to thin herd

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A limited deer hunt could take place in two East Lansing parks this year following the discovery of chronic wasting disease in a nearby community. The Lansing State Journal reports that the hunt by sharpshooters would thin the herd at Harrison Meadows Park and Albert A. White Memorial Park. City officials estimate that there are between 15 and 30 deer in each park. A public hearing is Oct. 20 on an ordinance to allow the hunt. At least three free-ranging deer in Ingham County’s Meridian Township have tested positive since May for the contagious, fatal disease that attacks the brains of infected deer and elk. Until May, chronic wasting disease hadn’t appeared in Michigan since 2008, when an infected white-tailed deer was detected at a Kent County breeding farm.